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Zahra Greer

Business-Aligned HR Leader

Understanding the Business to Lead HR

Working across very different industries has taught me to learn the business first. HR in aviation looks very different from HR in life sciences or a manufacturing environment, but the fundamentals are the same: understand the operation, build credibility with employees and leaders, and be willing to make difficult decisions when necessary.

I have supported corporate teams, frontline and hourly employees, executives and highly regulated operations. That experience has made me comfortable going from an executive meeting to an employee relations issue or walking the operation the same day. I have never believed HR should lead from behind a desk.

Aligning Talent with Business Direction

I look at where the business is today, where it is going, and whether the current structure and talent can get us there. I have worked through periods of growth as well as restructuring, so workforce planning has not always meant adding positions.

Sometimes it means reorganizing responsibilities, identifying positions that are no longer needed, addressing compensation issues, or developing someone internally rather than hiring from the outside. I work closely with leadership and use headcount, turnover, compensation, performance and other workforce data to help make those decisions.

Building Accountability and Leadership Depth

For me, strengthening leadership accountability starts with clear expectations. Managers cannot be held accountable for something they have not been told they own.

“My approach is always to ask what provides real value to employees and what the company can responsibly sustain.”

I spend a lot of time coaching leaders through performance and employee issues, but I also believe HR should not become the manager. We can provide the tools and guidance, but leaders need to lead their teams. Succession planning is another area I feel strongly about. I regularly look at where we have key-person risk, who has the potential to grow, and where we need to build more depth. I would much rather develop someone before we need them than discover a leadership gap when someone leaves.

Balancing Employee Value and Business Sustainability

Benefits are one area where I think HR can make a very measurable difference. During a recent medical renewal, our initial increase was significantly higher than where we ultimately landed after working closely with our broker and evaluating our options.

At the same time, we reviewed dental and vision alternatives and looked at different employer contribution scenarios. My approach is always to ask what provides real value to employees and what the company can responsibly sustain. I am willing to negotiate, challenge a renewal, benchmark the market, and look for alternatives rather than simply accepting the first proposal we receive.

Leading Change with Candor and Respect

You need to be accessible, consistent and willing to have difficult conversations. I have supported organizations through growth, restructures, leadership changes, reductions in force and significant changes to policies and processes. In those situations, people may not always like the decision, but they should understand it and feel they were treated respectfully. I also believe part of being a senior HR leader is being willing to challenge leadership. There have been times when my responsibility was to say, ‘Here is the risk I see, and here is another way we could approach it.’ Once a decision is made, though, my job is to help execute it fairly, consistently and with as little disruption as possible.